The
association of most of the Sherpas with the mountain begins from
their childhood. I was orphaned in my teens which compelled me to
accept mountaineering as a profession to support my family and
supplement my meager income from farming marginal agricultural
land in my village in Khumbu.

Ang Rita Sherpa

I entered into mountaineering
profession in late childhood at the age of 15 as a porter. My early childhood was spent driving
yaks, carrying daily commodities and trading them in Tibet and taking
care of farming.

I recollect that first time I was
hired as a low altitude porter for Dhaulagiri expedition. But had to
take the job of high altitude porter carrying loads up to Camp III
without shoes and other mountaineering equipment. The climbing team
recognized my hidden talents of mountaineering and praised the job I
did for them. They complained with Sirdar for the lack of my
mountaineering equipment at camp III and later supplied boots and
other warm clothes which actually did not fit to me but I felt that
now I am a mountaineer ready to climb big mountains. My success to
reach Camp III on Dhaulagiri made me feel that I can secure
mountaineering as my profession in the future.

For some time, I did not get much
opportunity to work as a high altitude porter and all the trips were
limited to smaller trekking peaks such as Island peak, Lobuche, Tukche
etc. Although there were a few chances to go in major expeditions, the
sirdar would not allow to go above camp II or the summit for the
novice altitude porters. Despite my confidence on my strength and
capability on mountain, the circumstances always let me down. I had to
endured humiliation on several occasions during the expeditions.
Ultimately, I got an opportunity to work as a high altitude Sherpa for
a Swiss expedition in Dhaulagiri which made me my dream come true with
the summit on Dhaulagiri for two times splitting the teams into two
groups and taking them to the summit turn by turn. It was my major
accomplishment in mountaineering profession which gave me the rays of
hopes for the future.

As the time went on, I worked as a
low altitude porters with several expedition teams in Everest. I
recollect that I was able to get to camp IV with a British Army
expedition in Everest which I consider myself a mile stone for my
success in Everest. My dream to step on the highest point on earth
came true on May 7, 1983 while assisting a German - American
expedition . My success to reach the summit of Everest without using
bottled oxygen made me feel more secure of my profession and increased
my confidence on mountaineering. My first autumn conquest of Everest
was in 1984 with a Slovak team when my colleague Mr. Josef Demzan died
while descending from the summit. On several occasions in my life I
have felt very sad when there were moments of fatal accidents which
claimed the lives of my colleague mountaineers. But I have always
consoled myself that it is the way of a mountaineer's life. Based on
this belief, the mountain accidents did not deter me from continuing
my exploits on the mountains. As a result, six months later on April
29, 1985, I helped Mr. Arne Naess, the leader of the first Norwegian
expedition to step atop Sagarmatha in stormy climbing conditions.

Expeditions now gradually scouted for
me for my experience sure-footed skills on mountain in their dream to
climb the world's tallest peak. As a poor Sherpa without any formal
education or training as a climber, I started accompanying
international celebrities in the mountains as I graduated to a guide
from a porter. I successfully climbed Cho Oyu, Kangchenjunga, Makalu
II with American, Spanish, German, Chilean expedition teams in 1986
and 1987. I returned to Everest and recorded my only winter ascent of
the mountain in 1987/88 season while assisting a South Korean
expedition. I recollect that I with a Korean climber lost the way in
Everest due to bad weather and spent the whole night just below the
summit doing aerobics exercises to keep our body active which is the
only way to survive there. Ten months later I again summited Everest
with a Catalan team on October 10, 1988. My sixth summit in the
mountain was in 1990 helping the first all-Nepali army expedition. I
accompanied the first successful Chilean expedition to the top of
world in the spring of 1992 and a Spanish team in 1993. My only ascent
of the mountain from the north in Tibet was in 1995 spring helping a
Russian-Ingosethian expedition. My latest (10 times summit without
auxiliary oxygen ) and hopefully not the last, ascent of Everest was
in 1996 helping the first Swedish expedition atop the mountain. Now, I
feel that I cannot live active mountaineer's life as I did for the
last 15 years, but if there is a special request by a good team for
Everest expedition and my health allows me, I wish to climb Everest
which possibly could be my last attempt on Everest.

My two sons Karsang Sherpa and
Chhewang Sherpa have been following my foot steps in the mountain. I
have personally trained them and they have already successfully
climbed Everest, Cho Oyu, Shishapangma.

I would like to inform you that after
working as a climbing guide for so long, I with my Sherpa mountaineers
have started our own trekking company in Kathmandu. As you know I have
spent so many years holding an ice axe and ropes, crawling on snow and
assisting mountaineers to the summit of the mountains for the last 20
years. What I have earned is the professional skills and experience in
mountaineering which can be shared with mountaineers.

Regards, Ang Rita Sherpa

Contact Address:

Ang Rita Trek & Expedition ( P ) Ltd.

P O Box 8544, Kathmandu, Nepal

Tel: 438163, Fax: 977-1-436167

URL: angritaexpedition.com

Ang Rita Sherpa was born in 1949, below
are the list of his 10 summits of Everest. He also summited
Kangchenjunga in Winter!